


The Heart Wants it Wants

by infinitewritings



Category: Bollywood - Fandom, War (2019)
Genre: Action, Bollywood, Fights, Fist Fights, M/M, Slow Burn, They need to use their words, War, long stares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:34:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22358023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinitewritings/pseuds/infinitewritings
Summary: "Karange naal naal behke akh naale akh nu milake dil diyan gallan haaye"We'll talk about the heart sitting together and looking into each other's eyes
Relationships: khalid/kabir
Comments: 10
Kudos: 28





	The Heart Wants it Wants

**Author's Note:**

> So War (2019) happened and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Let's be honest, I wasn't going to write anything about them but I do have the best support system. This is for you, M.

Kabir watched his team buzz around each other. Their backpacks were lined up neatly in the middle of the safe house and everyone had a spring in their step, a brighter smile, and a rush in their work. They were going home today. Kabir had approved their vacation and the final hour was almost here. Papers were rustling back and forth in a speed to make sure nothing is left uncompleted. The team kept their giggling quieter but even the recurrent laughs behind him made sure that he had a smile on his lips.

The carrier was fuelled and patiently waiting outside Kabir’s window and even the pilots had bigger smiles. The sun around the safe house was brighter and Kabir was itching for some quiet. Taking a sip of his tea, Kabir covered his smile with a sigh and stood up facing his team.

“Go home, guys.” His voice was rough and dry. Freezing in their spots, the entire team glanced at each other to check if any of them did something wrong. A small smile played on his lips and his shoulders relaxed as he crossed his arms. His mind wasn’t planning the movements and the details of the next attack because for once, all he wanted to do was to let his team—his family—relax and forget his face. 

He also wanted the safe house to himself.

“I mean it, the chopper is ready. Go and get a head start on your holidays.”

“Sir…” Aditi spoke up for the team. “The reports aren’t finished.”

“The reports will be completed and passed to the Colonel on time. You don’t need to be here for that.” He motioned to the bags. “Get going before I change my mind.” 

Everyone threw the papers on the table and marched to their bags, phones, and jackets. Kabir noticed as they tried to hide their smiles even though every step was a small bounce for the door. Everyone flashed him a smile, even a small salute—which he made sure to wave off—and ran down to the helicopter.

Kabir leaned again the doorway as his team took their spots in the helicopter, his mind doing a mental count of everyone in their seats. As the wings of the helicopter gained power, the team flashed him another big smile along with a wave which he responded with him a casual salute. The sky continued to engulf the helicopter in its bright sun and clear blue skies. Suddenly, the air was calm. The buzz was gone and his stiffness in his shoulders relaxed more knowing his team was off somewhere safe. 

Closing his eyes, Kabir took in a deep breath and let the entire landscape engulf him. He could finally hear the small waves of the water, the wind running through the trees, and the sifting of the sand. His mind was clear, his bruises and cuts were forgotten, and his entire body was light. Opening his eyes to the hills in front of him, his eyes scanned the ridges taking in the textures of the colours and the shades of every colour that surrounded him. 

This was his home.

He had a home, back in Delhi—miles away and tucked away in a corner of his mind. He couldn’t draw the design of the home anymore. That home was just a structure. Delhi was a place to him, it’s not a home anymore. The city had started to make him jump. The amount of people still gives him shivers. Every face he’d walk by reminded him of how many people are depending on him. But, this hill, this house surrounded by cliffs and high winds and peaceful waters was his solace. Standing in the vastness of nothingness let him breath, let him smile—if he remembered. It let him close another corner of himself away, so he could focus on opening another version of him that would make him better for the job.

He had planned to let his ears fill with the wind and the softness of the water but there was a faint tapping of keys behind him. Kabir was ready to be by himself, train by himself, and live by himself. But, he wasn’t alone. With his back to the room and his shoulder against the doorway, he broke through the silence. 

“Khalid.” 

The typing stopped, the sound of the chair pushed backwards, and the shuffling of feet interrupted the silence. Khalid kept his back straight, his feet together, and his hands held tightly behind his back. 

“Sir.” His voice was soft as if he was trying to not interrupt the sounds of nature. 

“I told everyone to leave.” Khalid was silent, and Khalid searched his mind for an answer or whether he should answer at all. Kabir turned towards him and took a few, well-planned steps closer to him and Khalid’s eyes lowered a little bit more with every step. Khalid stood in front of him in a neat button-down with sleeves folded up to his elbows and his hair tucked in place. His bruises were beginning to heal over. 

“You thought I wouldn’t notice?” Kabir tried to keep himself orderly while his eyes were busy trying to gather more details on Khalid. 

“That’s not—that wasn’t my intention, Kabir sir.”

“Considering the fact that you didn’t submit your vacation request.” Khalid’s eyes widened. “You’re surprised?” 

“No, not at all. I understand you want the place to yourself. I can leave.” Kabir kept his smug smile planted on his lips, his eyes piercing through Khalid. Still, Khalid managed to keep his stance straight. Shaking his head, Kabir moved closer to close more distance between them, taking note of the browns in Khalid’s eyes and the soft gasps as he kept trying to catch his breath. Kabir knew he made Khalid nervous and Khalid tried every trick to keep himself calm. 

“You just keep making me more curious about you, Khalid.” Khalid turned his eyes towards Kabir. “Why didn’t you go home?”

A memory flashed through Khalid’s eyes.

“Kabir sir…there’s…” a deep breath, “there’s nowhere for me to go for the holidays.”

“Nowhere? Khalid, you can go _home_.” Khalid looked away and scanned the room. He considered his options. There was the truth and there was an excuse. With his eyes lowered, he realized he was taking too long to answer when Kabir broke through his thoughts.

“Khalid.” His voice was firm but soft. He wasn’t angry, and he could see something turning in Khalid’s mind. Khalid tended to listen, to soak the words, and to begin considering a response. Kabir got in the habit of watching him and reading his expressions. Every time the expression was pained, like Kabir was always making him pull out a sad memory. He wanted to reach out to him and remind him he didn’t need to say anything he wasn’t ready to share but he also wanted to know more about Khalid. There was a fight in Khalid’s mind, but he finally turned his gaze to Kabir and nodded. 

“I can’t go home, sir.”

“Khalid, your mother—"

“I promised her I’ll come home once I’ve cleared our name.” His voice was quick, and his eyes were lost in the memory replaying in his mind. “I haven’t done anything to give her that respect back yet. There’s no reason to go home.”

A silence hung in the room. 

Kabir watched Khalid as he blinked away any remnants of a memory he didn’t want anymore. As much as Kabir wanted to reach out and remind him that he wasn’t alone, neither of them moved.

The day Khalid told him his mother he was going to join the Research and Analysis Wing, he watched her freeze in front of him. Her eyes were locked on him, but the entire world disappeared. The sounds outside were mute and the light buzz of the tv was nonexistent. Then the tears came. Khalid watched her cry. She apologized to him. She had reached for his shirt and gripped it in her small hands. Khalid had watched her as she kept sobbing and fell into his arms. She tried to talk to him between her tears, trying to make him change his mind. His mother tried to remind him that he deserved a happy life. In that moment, Khalid told her that he wanted to give her the respect she deserved back, and she sobbed more. She apologized to him again, telling him she wished she recognized the man who his father sooner. That day they sat on the ground, food forgotten. That night he held her as she slept holding him. 

Kabir let Khalid soak in his memories. Sucking in a deep breath and shoving the memory to the back on his mind, Khalid spoke up, “I hope it’s no problem, sir. I can always leave the safe house and just find a place somewhere in town.” Kabir blinked realizing he was still staring. 

“Wha—No,” clearing his throat, he shook his head, “don’t worry about it.” 

“Kabir sir, I can leave right away if need be—"

“Khalid. I appreciate the company.” Smiling, Khalid gave Kabir a nod to his response. Kabir kept his gaze away from Khalid’s face and gulped his heart away from his throat. 

“So, coffee?” Kabir asked.

“Yes, of course, I’ll make some right away!” 

“No no, don’t. I’ll put some on. I need to stretch my legs.” Watching Kabir walking away, Khalid let out the breath he was holding in his throat and relaxed his arms. He kept his eyes from wandering to watching Kabir’s long strides and how the strands of his messy hair highlighted in the sun. Leaning back on his chair, he closed his eyes and let the sounds of the coffee machine and beeps of the technology around them engulf him.

He had personally asked the Colonel to be considered for Kabir’s team and he still hasn’t understood why he took that step. Entering RAW, the decision made sense. His mother—as much she didn’t want to let him go and begrudgingly walked him to the train station to take him to the academy. She made sure to not tell him the name of the man who killed his father, but he knew he was in the army and now using his skills in a shadow elite unit. 

Khalid knew about Kabir very early in the academy; everyone spoke about him. There wasn’t a day that the trainees didn’t have a story about Kabir. Then, came a day the story of when Major Kabir shot and killed the traitor Major Rahmani—his father—was told. Khalid had made sure to use his mother’s maiden name on all his forms, so his classmates never really knew him. So, he just listened. They spoke about how Kabir found out, how he had personally taken the assignment, and how precisely he carried out the hit until his partner was killed. 

The stories always had different details. Someone said his partner came in between to smooth things between Rahmani and Kabir but Kabir wasn’t willing. Another classmate said Kabir shot Rahmani in the heart. Someone disagreed and said he shot his leg and then sent another through his forehead. Someone piped in and mentioned that Rahmani’s wife—Khalid’s mother—came in between and his partner was just trying to save her. Khalid knew that detail was wrong. That day, his mother was with him away from their home holding him and telling that everything was going to be okay. He remembered watching her on the phone trying to tell the person on the other side that they were okay. 

The Colonel later told him Kabir had spoken to his mother. 

Whatever the details held, the end was the same—Kabir shot Khalid’s father. It was reported that Kabir didn’t even flinch. Khalid’s mind still hasn’t decided if he should thank Kabir for freeing him and his mother from that man or if he should be angry for not only leaving him fatherless but also with a stain. 

Kabir had managed to clear up one detail when he first met Khalid. He shot Rahmani in the eyes, a bullet each. 

Sneaking a glance towards Kabir, Khalid watched him lean his back against the counter, his arms crossed, and his face turned towards the window. The sun shone his scars brightly. The two scars Khalid’s father had given him were buried under his shirt but the scars on his cheek, the cut running along his neck, the bruise on his bicep, and the cut above his eyebrow, and the slash on his lower arm were much more evident. A part of Khalid wanted to ask and verify if every story he’s heard about Kabir at the academy was true. Khalid wanted to ask why Kabir called his mother that day.

The sun outlined Kabir’s entire profile and Khalid’s breath was not willing to shove past his throat. The shirt was too loose around his waist and too tight around his biceps. As Kabir wrapped his arms around his chest, the muscles worked hard to not rip through the shirt. Trying to keep himself from staring and memorizing the muscles shining in the sun, Khalid spoke against the sound of the coffee machine. 

“Why don’t you go home, Kabir sir?” Shutting his eyes, every inch of Khalid’s being regretted his voice. There was a soft grunt in Kabir’s voice as he tried sift through the right words. 

As more seconds ticked by, Khalid tried to fill the silence, “sorry, Kabir sir, I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s okay. There isn’t anything for me in Delhi, expect for our Colonel.” Kabir’s voice was measured and soft. 

“Family?”

“No, not for a long time. Lost my dad before I entered the academy and then mom followed him a few months later. So, Delhi is all about work.”

Khalid tightened his jaw for his next question, “significant other?” 

Kabir let out a small laugh. He shook his head and a small smile crept on his lips. Khalid watched him loosen his stance and the sun outlining his profile. His shoulders relaxed, his back barely touching the counter, and his hair ruffled from different directions.

“I can’t.” Kabir turned to Khalid who blinked away and focused on the brewing coffee. “In our business,” the smile slowly disappearing, “that’s only considered collateral damage.”

Khalid’s eyes widened as he stared back at Kabir. His mouth partly agape as the words hung in the air. Letting out a quiet laugh, Kabir ran his fingers through his hair shuffling the memories back into their places.

“Your mother, how did she react to your decision?”

“For joining RAW or for never going home?”

“Hmm…both.” Khalid blinked away the flashes of his mother crying at the station as his train sped away. He cleared his throat to keep his tears from showing up. He didn’t tell his mother about not coming home until he was about to join the ranks. In that moment, she sat in front of him in his academy and tried to cover her sobs behind her handkerchief. She never fought his decisions, she only apologized. 

“Ammi didn’t have a counter argument.” Khalid turned his eyes to his bruised hands. “She knew how I felt and why.” Kabir watched him hunch over and squeeze his shoulders. 

_“You did good, Khalid.” Kabir walked up the stairs as Khalid watched the team. He nods in response and grips the railing around the porch tighter. Khalid's breaths were long and deep._

_“I can understand that it was tough for you,” Kabir stood next to him, their hands barely touching. “But, you made a good choice.”_

_“Did I, Kabir sir?” Khalid’s voice barely broke a whisper. His heart was in his throat and he was afraid if he spoke up more, he’d break down._

_“You saved a little boy, Khalid.”_

_“He doesn’t deserve what’s coming for him.” There were shivers in Khalid’s voice. His stare broke away from the team to the railing—anything to not cry._

_“He’ll be taken care of; the Colonel will see to it.”_

_“He’s in the system, Kabir sir.” He turned to Kabir, who leaned away from the railing and searched his face for answers._

_“Khalid—“_

_“He’s going to be with other kids, who don’t know him but think they do. They think they know how to deal with him. We didn’t save him, we might have ended his life.” Kabir clenched his jaw. Protecting his country was much more important than questioning his job or considering the consequences. But, Khalid spoke of something more than just bad guys. Kabir fought one bad man and that’s who he was—a bad man. Khalid killed a man and saw him as the father._

_“You did good enough him.”_

_Khalid shook his head._

_“Khalid, you saved him.”_

_Khalid matched Kabir’s eyesight and made him see the images that ran through his mind. His childhood. His peers berating him for his father. His mother seeing his bloodied and bruised face after he was sent home for getting bullied. His mother clutching his small body frame after the doctor told her that his injuries resulted in peripheral vision loss in his right eye. Every moment following the death of his father flashed in front of him, showed him the past, and teared him down. Staggering back, Kabir watched Khalid with wide eyes._

_“He’s going to wish I didn’t.”_

Ripping his eyes open, Kabir let out a gasp as he finally out a long breath after he felt a touch on his arm. Turning towards the hand, Khalid stood beside him with his hand raised and eyes wide open. 

“Sorry, Kabir sir,” he pointed to the coffee, “it’s ready."

“Hmm?” The coffee machine stayed silent as it finished dripping its last drops. Clearing his throat, Kabir’s eyes ran along Khalid. His hair was ruffled now, like he ran his fingers through it. The sun reflected the browns in his eyes. “Right, the coffee.” 

Rummaging for cups together, their hands collided above a mug. Their hands froze for a minute as they kept their gazes down. Neither of them pulled away and Khalid kept a breath in his throat Kabir kept his hand above his. Letting his fingers trail against Khalid’s hand, Kabir pulled them into a fist and still without looking motioned Khalid to go first.

“Go ahead.”

“I didn’t—I didn’t mean to—"

“It’s okay, it's just coffee.” Carrying the coffee back to his desk, Kabir kept his eyes lowered as he flipped through his options. He wanted to call after Khalid. 

Kabir wanted to know Khalid.

Kabir wanted to know if he hated him. He wanted to know if his mother hated him.

On his desk across the room, data spilled through the screens, surveillance photos refreshed every few minutes, and phone call logs streamed through the system, but nothing caught his interest. He turned his attention to the window and stared as the sun engulfed the landscape around him. He wanted to go for a run with music playing in his ears for once. He wanted to go for a swim and enjoy the water slip through his fingers. He wanted to finish the reports and finally take a rest without his gun. However, all he wanted to do now is turn Khalid’s chair towards him and talk to him. 

Questions swam through his mind but every time he came face to face with Khalid, he stopped and stared. But, he stored them away, waiting for a better day and a better time. 

***

Khalid leaned his back against the floor of the porch as he watched the stars sparkle above him. There was a time in school when he wanted to reach out and touch the stars and understand them. He wanted to see their shapes and discover some for himself. He wanted to lay back and compare shapes and imaginations. 

Now that wish—and that boy—seemed to be from centuries ago. 

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and let the wind rush past him. He could have gone away for the holidays. He didn’t even need to be at the safe house to keep his promise. But, he stood his ground, even kept his bag upstairs so nothing could make him reconsider his decision. He made sure he spoke to his mother the day before, so he wasn’t wavered by the prospect of going back to his normal life. The team asked him and tried to convince him, but he shrugged off their questions.

However, he knew he wasn’t staying here because of his promise. 

Every bone in his body tried to make sure he was extra steps away from Kabir. It’s been easier when the team is there; Khalid kept his mind occupied with the others. He didn’t know what to expect with being alone with Kabir—the man who had his heart buried in piles of responsibilities for the country—but he wanted to get to know him. Maybe have the chance to see him relax, maybe make him smile again. Yet, he sat away from Kabir. He kept his gaze focused on everything the light could reach trying to get his mind to refocus. 

Running his hands through his hair and sliding them down his face, he let out a loud groan. Hitting his head again the wood, he swore at himself trying to remind himself to focus. 

“Dinner.” Khalid’s hands froze on his face. 

“Khalid.” His hands peeled away from his face as his eyes shot open and he watched Kabir, with one eyebrow raised, shake the plates in his hands. 

“Kabir sir!” He took the plate in his hands, “thank you, you didn’t have to!” 

“It’s canned,” Kabir said as he took a seat by Khalid on the step. A flash of light from the trees shone at the corner of his eye as he turned to lean his back against the railing of the stairs. 

“Not the roti,” Khalid gave him a smile before he started to dig in. 

“Yeah, I had to try my hand at something.”

“Well, it’s really good, Kabir sir. Thank you.”

“No ‘sir'.” Khalid looked up at Kabir, who kept eating. “You’re on vacation, Khalid. I’m not ’sir’ right now.” When Kabir finally turned his head towards him Khalid realized he was staring.

“But—"

“It’s fine.”

“Thank you for making the food…Kabir.” Turning his lips into a soft smile, Kabir turned back to his food. His voice was soft, he wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t paying attention. Khalid turned his attention down at his food, trying to hide his smile. 

The more they ate, Khalid’s bites got slower and his eyes averted back to the ground in from of him or to the sky above him. His mind wandered to the little moments he’d lock away every year. Hidden memories kept trying to break through their corners and to his attention. Every bite of food kept getting heavier in his throat.

“What are you thinking about? You don’t usually play with your food,” Khalid blinked away from the food and looked at Kabir. “Unless you don’t like it, I know I’m no Saurab.”

“No, no, sir—" Khalid cleared his throat, “Kabir, it’s really good. I’m just thinking about something else.” 

“What’s on your mind?” Kabir’s voice was still gruff but low and soft.

“Today…it’s my dad’s birthday.” Kabir stopped eating and let his bite fall out of his fingers when he turned to him. “He should be 66, maybe 67 today. I don’t have the exact year in my head, never had the nerve to ask, but the date is there. I haven’t found a way to get rid of the date.”

“He was your father, you’re bound to remember it.” Khalid nodded in agreement. “What would you have done today?”

“Nothing really. He would have bought me something instead,” he let out a chuckle as a memory replayed in his head, “and ammi…” Khalid took in a hard breath.

“Ammi would have made the cake. She makes the best cakes.” Kabir watched Khalid clench his fists and a force a breath through his nose. His eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to keep himself together. Kabir’s hand turned into a fist, so he wouldn’t reach out.

“How long has it been?” His lower lip wavered as he bit the corner of mouth. 

Sucking in another breath, Khalid responded, “too long.” Khalid pulled the sleeves of his sweater to his fingers as his hands squeezed the fabric. Biting the inside of his mouth, he turned his focus to the ground in front of him and blinked away his tears.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Anything, Kabir.” Kabir huffed a smile and placed his empty plate on the steps and turned towards Khalid. 

“Before RAW. What did you want to do?” Turning his gaze away from Kabir, Khalid let out a soft laugh.

“You’re going to laugh.”

“What!” Khalid was still smiling and shaking his head. “I promise, no laughing, not even any smiling.”

“I just…” Khalid laughed again, “I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to get married.” 

Kabir stayed true to his promise. There were no smiles. His eyes were locked on Khalid who had turned away from him. 

“Then why didn’t you?”

“I wasn’t about to bring someone into a family labelled as traitors.” Every inch of Kabir’s body screamed at him to wrap Khalid in his arms. In a blink of an eye, Kabir’s hand moved away from his leg and landed on Khalid’s arm. His arm felt warm but shivered against his hand. Feeling his bicep under his hand, Kabir squeezed his arm and couldn’t get his hand to pull away. Khalid’s fingers stretched and curled into fists as he tried to keep himself for reaching over. As Kabir felt himself pulled closer to Khalid, he cleared his throat.

“Let me just grab some water.” 

Suddenly, the spot where Kabir’s hand rested felt colder. He finally shoved his heart down from his throat and took a breath. The stars shone brighter, the water sounded peaceful, and the wind was calm. His heart was busy locking away this moment when Kabir’s voice echoed through the house. 

“KHALID!” His feet ran through the doors as the food fell from his lap. Kabir was standing behind the couches with his eyes trained on the men in front of him crowding the house. Four men had their guns pinned on Kabir and on Khalid. Khalid’s eyes scanned the entire room, taking in the men and their positions. His eyes tried to count for every weapon he could make out while also realizing he had nothing. Two others were at Kabir’s computer, fingers flying across the keyboards and images scrolling through the screens. 

Six men. 

He couldn’t be sure there weren’t more. 

“It’s better to get rid of you than to keep running.” One of the men spoke up. He had a scar marking his cheek.

“So Ilyasi sent…” Kabir’s eyes wandered to take in his surroundings, “six men to kill us?” His eyes landed on Khalid and he turned back to the men. “Or were you expecting only one person?”

“More the merrier.”

“Yeah, the thing is you’re in my home and I don’t really like uninvited guests.” Khalid’s eyes stayed on the men working away on the computers. They may have been there to kill them, but they were also interested in RAW’s intel. Khalid’s gut told him there had to be more people. 

“That’s fine, we’re on a time crunch anyways.” He shot his gun and a rush of air flew by Khalid's right ear as Kabir’s leg kicked his and he fell to the ground. The bullet went through Aditi’s computer screen and Khalid stared at Kabir. 

“I told you to not keep your partner on the right!” The scuffled behind the couch as another bullet ran through the room. Their hands raised in front of them to keep the debris from landing near their faces. 

“Do you have your gun on you?” Kabir kept his voice louder over the ringing of the bullets hitting the wall in front of them. Every man was busy making good use of their weapons.

“No!” Khalid shook his head for good measure. Kabir’s eyes widened as he kept staring at him. “I’m on vacation!” Kabir rolled his eyes and turned towards the men as he tried to inch away from the couch to take a look at the danger from the side. A bullet raced by the strands of his hair as Khalid pulled him back.

“Where is your gun?!” Khalid yelled.

“In the kitchen.” Khalid stared at Kabir, who rolled his eyes again. “You think I cook with my weapon on me?!” Khalid stayed silent. “We have to go from the sides. Our weapons cabinet is behind them. Get to the computer first, we can’t let them take anything” Khalid nodded in agreement and together they divided on separate sides of the couch still hunched over and creeping closer to the men. The rain of bullets stopped as the man began to reload and both Kabir and Khalid lunged at the men in front of them. 

Khalid went to the men on the computers. He sent his fist through the man sitting on Kabir’s chair, curled his fingers around the back of the chair, pulled his back backwards, and kicked the other man in the chest. As that man went flying back, the first man grabbed his shirt from behind and pulled him towards his chest and wrapped his arm around Khalid’s throat, choking him. Gripping at his arm, the other came to kick Khalid in the chest. Facing the man, Khalid slammed his hand in his throat and raced backwards while the other hung around his neck and shoved his back into a beam. Pulling him over his shoulder, Khalid slammed him into the other who was still gasping for breath. Khalid grabbed his jacket and pulled it over his head as he punched his head. Shoving him to the wall, Khalid grabbed a fist of the man’s hair and rammed his hand against the wall. Twice. Then, slammed it again for good measure as he lost consciousness and fell to the ground. 

Kabir picked up a chair from the table, letting the two men shoot at it as he walked closer to them. Throwing the chair towards the one closer to him and sent him backwards, Kabir grabbed the wrist of the man with the scar. Twisting his wrist to loosen his grip on the gun, Kabir sent his fist through his face. Twice. As the other man got ready to stand up from the chair, a shot rang through the air as another intruder walked closer to Kabir in his large combat boots. Grabbing the first man’s gun, Kabir slammed the gun in his face and kicked his leg down and rammed his foot against his knee, blowing out the bone. Glancing up, another man sent his fist through Kabir’s cheek, throwing him off balance. Gripping his collar, he went in for another punch sending Kabir’s face flying back, loose on his neck. Blinking his eyes open and spitting out bits of blood from his mouth, Kabir hit his jaw. Trying to catch his breath, Kabir took a few deep breaths on the floor as a set of combat boots came closer to him. Taking his time, Kabir counted his steps as he came closer and scrambled for the gun and shot him through his foot. Trying to get up again, a man got up, pulled out another gun, and sent a bullet grazing Kabir’s arm.

Tightening his jaw, Kabir pushed a table over and gripped his arm. The noise of the combat boots echoed against Khalid’s grunts. Kabir counted his steps and aimed the remaining bullet against the table and sent a bullet through his leg stood up to reach for him and pulled him down by his neck banging his chest against the corner of the table. 

Two down. 

Picking up a keyboard, Khalid spun it in his hands and raised it to smash it against the intruder’s head when a bullet pierced through his leg. Banging his knee against the floor, Khalid let out a scream. Kabir’s head twisted to find Khalid gripping his leg and calming his breaths. As he got up from behind the table a shot rang through his shoulder, sending him backwards. Khalid gripped the keyboard and sent it in the direction of Kabir's shooter. 

Balancing himself against the table, he pulled himself up and ran himself into the man in front of him who picked him up against his shoulder and rammed his back against the kitchen wall. Then again, pulled him away and shoved him against the wall. Then shoved him against the wall and slid his shoulder and face against the cabinets as bits of wood and metal hitting Khalid. Another man came over and kicked him in the chest but before he could again Khalid blocked his kick and punched his face, slamming him against the window, and pulled the man behind him over his shoulder and on to the ground. Someone else shot through the house and the bullet pierced his shoulder. 

Gripping his shoulder, Khalid looked at the shooter ready to limp towards him when Kabir’s bullet ran through the shooter’s head. Three more men left. Kabir dimmed to another as a man creeped behind him.

“KABIR!” His name rang through his ears and vibrated through Kabir as his eyes matched Khalid and he almost turned behind him. 

Everything slowed down. 

Two more men rushed in from the front door as reinforcement. The plates fell around Khalid. A man carrying a plate lunged towards him and slammed it above his head and shoved a piece of the broken plate through the side of his chest. Another came over and twisted his arm behind him as Khalid watched the bruised, bloodied, and the scarred man behind Kabir struck him with a needle before he could face him. Khalid watched as he squeezed every drop of the injection into Kabir whose eyes almost popped out of his sockets as he froze in his spot. His hands stopped moving and his pupils began to vibrate as his body fought against the substance. Trying to reach for the man behind him, Kabir’s hand reached in the air as he was shoved to the side to the ground. His voice let out small gasps as his ears kept ringing. Khalid fought against the grips of the men who held him as he watched Kabir convulsing on the ground. His hands shook, his body convulsed, and his eyes became red. 

Kabir opened his mouth to scream back at Khalid. 

“Kabir!” Khalid began pleading to keep Kabir from closing his eyes. The men held on to him tighter, squeezed the shard deeper into his side, shoved their finger deeper into his bullet wounds, and sent a punch through his jaw and then a kick against his chest. Khalid fell over, gasping for air. Kabir watched as Khalid got shoved to the ground as a man got handed a gun. His eyes began to water as he stopped blinking and stared at Khalid bleeding from his shoulder and his leg. A kick slammed through Khalid’s chest as he tried to regain his footing. Kabir tried to shake himself. He wanted to help Khalid. Khalid was forced to his knees as he tried to plan through the scenarios of what was given to Kabir. It could be a paralyzing drug. It could be lethal. His mind was calculating the different ways he could fight against the three men and the two new ones typing away on the computer. 

The man’s steps echoed in Kabir’s ears as he watched him inch closer to Khalid as he tried to fight the three men around him. A man slammed an empty glass bottle through his head, sending shards of glass around him. Kabir managed to open his mouth but every sound was stuck in his throat as he continued to watch. 

His vision blurred. 

He thought he saw Khalid shove a piece of the bottle through his chest. Then, he saw the scarred man send a fist through Khalid’s face. 

He blinked his eyes against the darkness as he tried to take in all the images he could see. 

He saw Khalid on the ground, again. He saw someone grip Khalid’s hair in his fist. He saw Khalid throw a kick against his neck. He saw Khalid slam a man’s head against the kitchen and wrap his fingers around Kabir’s gun.

He heard footsteps around him. 

His throat choked. His scruff felt wet. 

The room became darker with every new set of images that flashed in front of him. Sounds echoed in his ears—more grunts and another shoot. His breathing was hitched, and his eyes were watering. Taking one final look at Khalid, Kabir closed his eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoot out to M, always my backbone.


End file.
